Stranger Things Creators Defend Eleven's Heartbreaking Season 5 Finale Decision

The minds behind Netflix's hit series couldn't envision a satisfying conclusion without losing one crucial character, with showrunners calling the decision both "selfless" and "heroic." Warning: major spoilers ahead for those who haven't seen the final episode!

During the climactic moments of the series finale, as the Upside Down faces destruction through the group's carefully orchestrated plan, Eleven faces a devastating choice that haunts her throughout the two-hour episode. She ultimately decides to give up her life to ensure her blood can never again be used to create more superpowered kids destined for torture and abuse - the same nightmare she endured.

The Ambiguous Ending That Sparked Debate

Yet the story takes an unexpected turn during a Dungeons & Dragons session more than a year later. Mike offers an alternative narrative where Kali, barely clinging to life, uses her psychokinetic powers to stage Eleven's death, giving her sister the chance to escape and finally experience true freedom. A fleeting scene depicts Eleven trekking through Iceland's stunning mountain landscape, though viewers are left wondering whether this represents Mike's wishful thinking or reality.

This deliberate uncertainty was crucial for the Duffer Brothers, who recently spoke with Variety about their decision to conclude Eleven's journey this way. "Eleven represents, in a lot of ways, the magic of childhood," Ross Duffer explained. "And we knew for our kids to be able to grow up, the magic had leave Hawkins. There was never a version that we had written where it was Eleven down in that basement. It was never going to be that simple and that easy. It was finding a way to come up with an ending where it was not that simple, but also bittersweet, and that there was hope there."

Writers' Room Debates and Character Motivations

"From a character point of view, not a thematic point of view, we had so many debates in the writers' room about what we were going to do with Eleven," Matt Duffer added. "And then we tried to actually express everything we were talking about in the room on the screen. So Hopper's speech to Eleven is vocalizing what a lot of people in the room were saying. And then what Kali was saying to her was vocalizing the other side of the argument."

"The question was, which of those choices is Eleven going to choose? And if you, like Mike and the others, choose to believe that she is alive somewhere, then she picked something in the middle. But either way, it's a completely selfless act and heroic act on Eleven's part. I mean, you've seen all those pregnant women, and how many children are going to be born, potentially, using her blood, how the cycle will exist, and how many other kids will go through what she went through. And she's making damn sure that that never happens again."